Callaway Golf has unveiled two new
drivers
for the 2014 season, the Big Bertha and Big
Bertha Alpha.

The Big Bertha ($399) promises length
and
accuracy off the tee with the introduction of a
sliding weight that can be moved around the
perimeter of the driver head. The face is also
hotter and 10% lighter while the 8 gram
forged
composite crown moves the Center of Gravity
(CG) lower.

Callaway’s “woods” story for 2014 is all
about high performance products that can be
fine-tuned for accurate distance.

That story jumps to an entirely new level
in the Big Bertha Alpha ($499), which is
directed at
more skilled players. Big Bertha Alpha is the
first driver with four independent
adjustments:
loft, lie, directional bias, and CG height. The
adjustable hosel takes care of the first two,
while the third (the directional bias) is fine-
tuned by changing weights at the bottom
heal
and toe of the Big Bertha Alpha.

The fourth
adjustment is the biggie - a reversible
“Gravity
Core” which slides into a graphite tube in the
center of the sole. Changing its orientation
allows a player to lower spin independently
of
launch angle. Whether you like high launch
and
low spin, or mid launch and mid spin, the
ability
to fine tune launch conditions is powerful
stuff.

As for the name, most “seasoned” players
know that Callaway was an early pioneer of
today’s larger drivers and the original Big
Bertha and Great Big Bertha were two of the
top-selling drivers of the post-persimmon
era.
But a product remake isn’t what Callaway is
after.

“We didn’t bring the name back out of
some misguided sense of nostalgia,” says SVP
of Research & Development Dr. Alan
Hocknell. “We brought it back to advance the
science of hitting the ball far.”

With that said, you can expect a huge
buzz (Phil Mickelson already says it's going to
be a 2014 game changer for him) leading up to
general availability of the
Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha in February of
2014. The Callaway Golf website,
which was just re-launched, is a social
network unto itself buzzing with product
updates, videos, and news feeds. And right
now, the home page is all about Big Bertha.